Autom: A robot designed to call you fat

If you’re a big guy, you probably get lectured a lot about losing weight. Which, it should be said, is hard for anybody to do, especially if they’ve got a lot of work and other commitments.

Well, now an MIT graduate has decided what you really need is a robot to guilt trip you.

The robot in question, called Autom, is actually not aggressive: It’s not going to shout “Fattie fattie boom ba latty!” every time you pull ice cream from the fridge. But it is very interactive.

The idea is that you use a pedometer and connective scale (read: A scale with WiFi) in conjunction with the robot. You punch in your meal plan and exercise schedule, and the little smiling guy lets you know whether you’re on track. Like, for example, in this video:

You’ll have to pay up front for the robot, and then for a $6.99 subscription. Yes, you are expected to pay for a robotic guilt trip on a monthly basis.

Despite the sarcasm, this isn’t a bad idea: This thing is pretty good about interacting with you and keeping you on track. We just worry about what will happen when it can start following you around: “Do you really want that slice of pizza?”